1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a head cover for golf clubs and, more particularly, to a head cover for golf clubs, in which an open-and-shut frame is installed in the head cover to open or close the head cover and the operation of opening or closing the head cover having the open-and-shut frame therein can be done with only one hand, thus allowing a user to hold a golf club with one hand and the head cover with the other hand and thereby affording the convenient use of the head cover for golf clubs, and thus simplifying the structure of the open-and-shut frame and thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, various types of protective covers for golf clubs have been proposed. Most of the protective covers are manufactured using cloth to cover the head of a golf club C. As shown in FIG. 1, a protective cover is formed in the shape of a pouch to surround both a head H and the upper portion of a shaft S of the golf club C, and is cut in the longitudinal direction of the cover so that the head H and the shaft S of the golf club C are easily inserted into the protective cover. Further, a slide fastener Z is attached to the cut portion of the cover. Thus, after the slide fastener Z attached to the protective cover A is opened, the golf club C is inserted into the protective cover A. Subsequently, when the slide fastener Z is closed, the protective cover A can protect the head H and the upper portion of the shaft S of the golf club C. However, such a protective cover A is problematic in that the slide fastener Z must be opened or closed with both hands, so that it is complicated and inconvenient to use the protective cover A.
In order to solve the problem, as shown in FIG. 2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,723 has been proposed by the inventor of the present invention, which is constructed so that a protective cover is bent to be opened or closed. However, the protective cover is problematic in that only the elastic force of the cover itself is used, so that elastic restoring force is weak and the operation of opening or closing the protective cover is not smooth. Further, in the case where the protective cover is covered with protective cloth, the thickness of the protective cover is increased. This hinders the smooth operation of the protective cover. Moreover, in order to open or close the protective cover, the protective cover must be bent. However, the bending operation is not smooth, so that it is very difficult to open or close the protective cover with only one hand. When the protective cover is opened for the insertion of a golf club, a hinge part provided along the central line of the protective cover protrudes like a hump, so that it is inconvenient to put the golf club into the protective cover. Because of the protrusion, the golf club may slip to one side during the insertion of the golf club, so that it is inconvenient to use.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the protective cover according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,742 includes a hinge part, and a pair of cover parts which are coupled to each other via a hinge pin. As in the former patent, when the protective cover is opened for the insertion of a golf club, the hinge part provided along the central line of the protective cover protrudes like a hump, so that it is inconvenient to put the golf club into the protective cover. Because of the protrusion, the golf club may slip to one side during the insertion of the golf club, so that it is inconvenient to use. A portion for receiving the head of the golf club includes a top wall F1, a side wall F2, and a bottom wall F3, and the protective cover is manufactured through injection molding. Meanwhile, golf clubs manufactured by several manufacturing companies have different sizes and the difference in size is considerable. Further, the molded products are not compatible with one another, so that it is inconvenient to use and several models of protective covers are required.
Further, several head covers invented by the same inventor as the present invention have respective characteristics, but have several problems when the head covers are actually used. For example, in the case of using an elastic cord, the durability of the elastic cord is too small and the elastic cord is in contact with the head cover throughout the entire length of the elastic cord, so that the elastic cord may adhere to the head cover. In this case, operating force is not constant, thus causing the imbalance of force and thereby leading to non-uniform operation. Further, the manufacturing costs of the head cover are high, so that the marketability of the head cover is low.